The Desert Plants Journal, published by The University of Arizona for the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, is ‘devoted to encouraging the appreciation of indigenous and adapted arid land plants’ and has published issues about a number of areas beloved by hikers in Arizona including the Ironwood Forest National Monument, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon, Tucson Mountains and more!
Desert Plants, Annotated Flora of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Pima & Pinal Counties, Southeastern Arizona, Volume 33, Number 2, January 2018 by James T. Verrier covers the Santa Catalina Mountains in inspiring detail. The field work for this volume lasted from 2007 to 2017 and included 380 days in the field with 28,000 miles of driving to survey some of the amazing, but harder to reach and lesser visited, areas of the Santa Catalina Mountains including Alder Canyon, Edgar Canyon, Buehman Canyon, Diable Canyon and Burro Creek. The locations pictured in this volume will certainly be an inspiration to anyone who enjoys exploring the Santa Catalina Mountains!
In addition to a comprehensive list of, and pictures of, plants there are also short sections on a number of subjects including Collection History, Rare Plants and Invasive Plants.
Recent issues of Desert Plants can be found at the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library (with the periodicals) and older issues are available for in library use at the Joel Valdez Main Library. Desert Plants is sold by Desert Survivors, Plants for the Southwest, and B & B Cactus – I suggest contacting them before visiting to ask if they have the issue you want in-stock. The Desert Plants Journal also sells issues and when I contacted them about a purchase were quite helpful!